Former Olympic champion Sharikov dies in car crash

MOSCOW: Russia’s former Olympic fencing champion Sergei Sharikov died in a car crash at the weekend, press reports said on Monday. The reports said that Sharikov crashed his quad car into a car travelling the other way on a highway road in the Kaluga region some 200 kilometers from Moscow. Sharikov was rushed to a nearby hospital, but the medics failed to save his life and the 40-year-old died because of multiple injuries. Police have launched an investigation into the accident. Sharikov won gold in the team saber tournaments at the 1996 Atlanta and 2000 Sydney Olympics as well as three world and five European titles during his career.